A ball is a round, generally spherical shaped object, but sometimes ovoid, with various uses. In a ball game, the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Ball can also be used for simpler activities, such as catch, marbles and juggling. Simple balls are commonly formed of flexible plastic material, while others use synthetic leather. Various ball games are known for amusement, sport and other recreation activities, are played with a ball or balls, and are subject to rules, such as cricket, baseball, basketball, football, soccer, tennis, rugby, golf, volleyball and others. Examples of balls used in game balls are illustrated in FIG. 1, showing a soccer (a.k.a. football outside of the U.S.) ball 1, commonly consisting of twelve regular pentagonal and twenty regular hexagonal panels positioned in a truncated icosahedron spherical geometry, and made up of a latex bladder which enables the football to be pressurized. A basketball ball 2 is shown as a sphere shaped inflated ball used in the game of basketball. A ball 3 is used in volleyball is a spherical, made of leather or synthetic leather ball, having a circumference of 65-67 cm and a weight of 260-280 grams. A prolate spheroid (‘egg-shaped’) ball 4 is used in U.S. football game, and a golf ball 5 is used for the game of golf. Tennis balls such as ball 6 are commonly covered in a fibrous fluffy felt which modifies their aerodynamic properties. Examples of golf balls are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,758 to Solheim, U.S. Pat. No. 5,766,098 to Molitor et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication 2002/0034991 to Sasaki et al. and U.S. Patent Application Publication 2003/0125135 to Iwami, all titled: “Golf Ball” and incorporated in their entirety for all purposes as if fully set forth herein.
One example of a prior-art pet toy that comprises a ball that has an opening and an exit and used for treat dispensing, having sound recording and playback is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,484,671 to Herrenbruck titled: “Treat Dispensing Toy”, which is incorporated in its entirety for all purposes as if fully set forth herein. Another prior-art food dispensing treat pet toy is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,832,362 to DeGhionno titles: “Lightweight, Hollow, Reusable, Food-Dispensing Treat Toy and Combination of Food-Dispensing Treat Toy with an Enclosing Container Designed for Intellectual Stimulation, Enrichment and Amusement of Animals, and Reduction of Boredom or Separation Anxiety That May Lead to Destructive or Undesirable Behavior in Puppies and/or Other Animals”, which is incorporated in its entirety for all purposes as if fully set forth herein. An impact sensitive talking ball including a plunger that operates a test switch when the ball is squeezed in described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,375,839 to Pagani titled: “Impact Sensitive Talking Ball”, which is incorporated in its entirety for all purposes as if fully set forth herein. A game ball with a timer or clock is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,945,887 to Oister et al. titled: “Game Ball with Clock”, which is incorporated in its entirety for all purposes as if fully set forth herein.
In consideration of the foregoing, it would be an advancement in the art to provide a method and system that is simple, cost-effective, faithful, reliable, has a minimum part count, minimum hardware, or uses existing and available components for providing additional amusement, education, entertainment and a better user experience relating to a device such as a ball game, toy and the like, preferably without departing from the conventional ‘look and feel’ of a common toy or ball. Further, it would be advantageous if such a toy or ball provides added educational value and stimulus for playing, adding to the user experience more curiosity and excitement, as well as added pleasure and amusement and making the toy more versatile and attractive to play with, while being easy to construct and manufacture, robust and consistent in aesthetic appearance and function, and preferably without significantly departing from the conventional ‘look and feel’ of such a toy or a ball.